Chiastic Structure Ezek

7/25/2019 Chiastic Structure Ezek

1/23

The Chiastic Literary Structure

o th

Book of Ezekiel

Richard M. Davidson

J. N. Andrews

Professor o Old Testament Interpretation,

Andrews

University

Theolo

Seminary, BerrienSprings,

MI.

The initial impetus

for

this study came

from

William

Shea: wh

enthusiasm for exploring

the

literary structures o Scripture--especially

phenomenon o chiasmus

e g

Shea

1979,

1980, 1986a, 1986b)-w

contagious

to many o us, his

students; whose ground-breaking insights

Ezekiel 1-11 and

40-48

(Shea

1981, 1982)

are

foundational to

this resea

and

whom I appreciatively

dedicate

this

article.

Previous Study on the

Structure o th Book o Ezekiel

Already n the

nineteenth

century, commentators frequently

noted

intricate

structural design

o the

book of

Ezekiel.

RudolfSmend wrote:

whole

book

is ... the logical development of a

series

o

ideas

in accorda

with awell thought out, and in part quite schematic, plan. We cannot rem

any part

without

disturbing the whole structure

(1880:

xxi). Even after

cycle

of

critical

attacks

on

the unity and

integrity

of

the

book during

the

sec

quarterof the twentieth century, recent Ezekiel

scholars

are still impressed

the

litefa )'

orderliness and artistry of the book in its canonical

form.

Wal

Zimmerb remarks: Incoming from the otherprophetic books, one is str

by the impression

o

great order in

the

book of Ezekiel (1979: 2).

Ja

Luther

Mays

concurs: Among

all

the ooks

of

the

prophets, Ezekiel s

has

clearest and

most

orderly

arrangement

(1978:

22). Joseph

Blenkins

expresses

like sentiments:

On a first reading of the book, one gets

impression of continuity, structure,

and

order

and o its being

a

well thou

out whole

to

a much greater extent than other prophetic books (1990:


2/23

7 Understand the Scriptures

John

Wevers

writes similarly:

It

is

clear, however, that not

only

do th

divisions

of the

book give

evidence of

literary arrangement, but

that a

sing

mind

imposed some

pattern (largely fonnal) on the book as a

whole

as weD

(1969:

7).

Moshe

Greenberg's research

leads him

to accept

the validity ofh

working hypothesis that the

present Book

of

Ezekiel is the

product

of

t

an

intelligent

design

(1983: 26).

Since

the

beginning of the

Common Era, specific suggestions have be

made regarding the overall structure of Ezekiel. According to Josephu

Ezekiel

...

left

behind

him in

writing

two books

concerning these event

Antiquities 10, 5.1). Josephus seems to be referring to the two differe

halves of the book of Ezekiel, chapters 1-24 dealing primarily with doom

judgment, and chapters 25-48

dealing with

the consolation or

hope

in th

destruction of Israel s enemies and the

restoration

of Israel and its temple.

The

Babylonian Talmud apparently

envisions the

same

bifid structu

~ v e n as

it

explains the ~ r e r of the major prophets (Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Isaia

l some early manuscnpts:

Since

the book

of

Kif. gs

ends with

doom and the

book of eremi h

is all

doom, and the book ofEzekiel begins with

doom

but ends with consolation,

while Isaiah

is

all consolation, you see that we place doom next to doom and

consolation

next

to consolatIon

(Baba Bathra l4b).

This

traditional bifid structuring of the book still has

representatives

modem

scholarship

(Harrison

1969:

822,823;

Brownlee

1986:

xxxviii,

xxxi

Keil 1976: 7; Nichol 1955:

569).

The

preponderance of recent Ezekiel

scholars,

however,

opt for

a ~ e n e r

tripartite structure ofEzekiel in its present fonn (Zimmerli 1979: 2; Elchro

1970:

21,22;

Greenberg 1983: 4-6;

Mays

1978: 22;

McKeating

1993: 1

Allen 1990: xiii; Fishbane 1984:

131;

ZVl 1993: 93;

Cooke

1936: xvii; Ha

1989:

4;

Cassuto 1973:

227). The three generally acknowledged section

of

the book are

chapters

1-24 (prophecies

ofjudgment),

25-32

(oracles

again

the foreign nations), and 33-48 (prophecies of hope and

restoration).

There

wide recognition of numerous parallels between the fIrst and third section

thus

yielding an A-B-A' structural pattern (Hals 1989: 4;Haran 1979: 5

53; Talmon and Fishbane 1976: 138-149; McKeating 1993: 15,16,99-10

Wevers 1969: 3-7; Mays

1978:

22-24).

Some modem scholars subdivide the third section into

chapters

33-3

(Israel's restoration)

and

40-48

(The New Temple

and Cult), thus arriving

a

fourfold division

of

the book

(Stalker

1968:

5-12;

Weyers

1969:

1,

7-1

Feinberg 1969: 14, 15; May 1956: 64), and the

fIrst

section has also bee

subdivided into

chapters

1-3:21 (Ezekiel s call)

and

3:22-24:27

(propheci

of

Doom), thus

yielding five

major

divisions to the book (Ellison 1956: 13

A number of recent studies deal with

literary structural relationships


3/23

The hiastic LiteraryStructure a the ook o[ekie I

various sub-units Ezekiel, without attempting to set forth

the

literary

structure the entire book. For examples, Henry van Dyke Panmak (1980)

analyzes the relationships

the

three visions

the book called the

visions

God : Ezekiel 1-3, 8-11, and 40-48; Fishbane (1984) traces the sin

judgment theme

and

structure throughout Ezekiel 4-24; Tuell (1992: 20) sets

forth a

chiasm in

Ezekiel 4-48; Talmon and Fishbane (1976) study structural

elements in Ezekiel

13

and

40-43

(in linkage

with 8-11);

and

Brownlee (1978)

examines

the

watchman parable structure in

Ezekiel

3 and 33.

To

my

knowledge,

only two modem

studies attempt

set

forth

in

any

detail the literary arrangement or structure the entire book of

Ezekiel.

Cassuto attempts

to

explain

the

present arrangement the book

Ezekiel

in

tenns ofEastem (opposed

to

Western) methods organization

by

length

and

by

association ideas and words (1973: 227-240). He seeks

to

trace

the

working these principles throughout the book, focusing especially on the

criterion association which

he

sees operating

in

each sub-unit the three

main sections of

the

book.

While

Cassuto does point out

many

words, phrases,

and ideas which recur in succeeding units

the book,

his analysis

is often far

from convincing. Moreover, Cassuto s

aim is to

account

for

the present

ordering units within the three main sections the book; he does

not

attempt to discover

the

overarching literary macrostructure of Ezekiel s

prophecies.

Parunak (1978) has written the most comprehensive study of

literary

structures

in the book

Ezekiel.

Written

in

the

rising

wake

the New

Literary Criticism, Panmak s study traces the rise

scholarly interest in the

literary artistry Scripture since Robert Lowth, synthesizes principles of

structural analysis, and applies these principles

in

a relatively comprehensive

surface structural analysis the book Ezekiel. The major strength ofthis

study is in the surface microstructural analyses units and sub-units of

Ezekiel's prophecies, revealing

numerous

appearances of chiastic structure and

block parallelism (which Parunak labels alternations). Parunak s brief

treatment the macrostructure the entire

book

is far less satisfactory. His

proposed overall literary structure is diagrammed

in

table 7.1.

Although Parunak attempts to explain

the

balance of this macrostructure,

in

so

doing,

he

has

to redefine the term

ba ance almost

to

the point of special

pleading. Panmak s excellent surface microstructural

work in

Ezekiel

is

simply

not

matched

a

convincing

macrostructure

the

book. To Parunak s

credit, he

does

not insist that his macrostructure of Ezekiel is the last

word.

In

his

discussion

the theory

structural analysis,

he

rightly points

to

the

principle concurrence, in

which

several different structural patterns

may be

superimposed

on

each other (1978: 75,76).

One

specific weakness ofParunak s

study

is

his

treatment

Ezekiel 1-11.

By dividing Ezekiel

1-11

into

three different sub-sections, Panmak is

not able

to recognize key areas

correspondence

in

the

book.


4/23

74 To

Understand the Scriptures

Parunak s Macrostructure Exekial

Judgment

3:16-7:27 ......

...... .....

Restoration

34-39

I

/

first Vision Second Vision /

Commission

Judgment

1:1-3:15 811 /

I Third Vi,sion

Restoration

I 40 48

I

Judgment I

1233

Table 7.1. Parunak s literary structure (after 1978: 118 table 4),

The

special

contribution

of

Shea to the discussion

of

literary structur

Ezekiel

comes

in his

recognition

of Ezekiel 1-11 as a discrete

literary

which

balances

the book s concluding

section

of Ezekiel 40-48.

Var

scholars

have

pointed out

the balancing relationship

between

the unit

Ezekiel

1-3 and 40-48

e g

Taylor

1969: 14, 15), and other scholars h

noted the

balancing relationship

between

the units of

Ezekiel

8-11 and 40

e g

McKeating 1993:

102), but to my knowledge

Shea

is the first to

s

how the

whole of Ezekiel

1-11

is integrated as a

single literary unit an

recognize that this whole unit

matches

and counterbalances the unit

of

Eze

40-48 at the end of the

book.

The Chiastic Literary Structure of

Ezekiel

The chiastic literary structure

oJEze 1el:

an overview My own

rese

on Ezekiel s literary structure began as

a

result

of

reading

Shea s

analys

the opening and closing matching sections of Ezekiel

Ezekiel

1-11 and

48). as mentioned above

and

to

be

detailed

below). The

hwothesis

prese

itself that if Ezekiel 1-11 was the

counterbalance

to Ezekiel 40-48, perh

these sections fonned

the

outer members

of a

detailed chiastic

structure

encompassed the whole book.

Further study

testing

this hypothesis

revealed

that the

prophecies of

Ezekiel not only have

a general

A-B-A chia


5/23

The ChiasticLiteraryStructure

the ook a Ezekiel

pattern as

widely recognized,

but

also appear to

be

arranged in

a much m

detailed chiastic literary

macrostructure.

Not only

do the

opening

and clos

sections

th e book E zekiel 1-11,

40-48)

parallel

each

other,

but

ot

sections

Ezekiel s prophecies

follow

an

intricate cmastic pattern. T

Oracles of Judgment Ezekiel

12-23) are

the

chiastic counterbalance

of

Oracles of Restoration

Ezekiel 34-39).

Ezekiel

24

and

33

are

pivotal

in

chiastic arrangementof the book: in

Ezekiel

24 the fate of Jerusalem

is

sea

as

the city is besieged, and in

the

chiastic

counterpart

Ezekiel 33,

word

reac

Ezekiel

that

Jerusalem has

fallen.

n

the

transition

between these

two

pivo

chapters and the events they describe the siege and fall Jerusalem),

prophet s attention

is turned to the

fate ofIsrael s

surrounding

neighbors,

the oracles of judgment a ainst

the nations

Ezekiel 25-32) are presented

t w o o r r e s p o n i n ~ parts. Fmally, in

the

chiastic

center the book

of Ezelc

the

cosmic curtam

is

pulled

back,

as it

were,

and

God

reveals to

Ezekiel

cosmic

judgment upon

the

Fallen Cherub who stands behind the scenes

human affairs Ezek 28:

11-19). Table

7.2

gives

a schematic overview oft

structure.

The Chiastic Structure of

Ezekiel

Judgment

on

the Fallen

Cherub

28:11-19

E

Oracles against

the foreign nations

25-28:10

Jerusalem

besieged

24

Oracles

ofjudgment

12-23

1 11

Yahweh

Comes to His Temple:

Hocomes

to the defiled Temple

for investigativejudgment

then departs.

Table 7.2. A schematic overview

the book of Ezekiel.

Oracles against

the foreign nations

29-32

Jerusalem

falls

33

Oracles

of restoration

34 39

4 48

Yahweh

Comes

to

His

Temple:

He comes

to the restored Temple

on the Day

Atonement

and

does not depart.


6/23

76

To Understand the Scriptures

A A Eze/ iel

1-11

and 40-48 : Yahweh comes to His temple.

T

following swnmarizes Shea s insights regarding the unity theme, structW

and focus in z e k i e l l l l ~ t h e relationship

between

this material and

Ezek

40-48

(1981: 12-24);

and some

points

not

presented by Shea.

According to Ezek

I:

1,2, Ezekiel s ministry

began

in July 592 eon

some 3

1/2

years before the Babylonian siege of

Jerusalem.,

which started

January

588.

Thus

Ezekiel

ave

God s last

warning

message to Judah ju

before the

siege

and destruction of Jerusalem.

Commentators

have rightly

recognized

that

the vision

of

Ezekiel

concerns the glol) of God, but they have only

incidently

noted

the

empha

on motion involved in the

vision-the

wings

of

the

living beings (1 :6, 8,

1

14) and the four wheels of the divine

chariot

throne, all

in

intense intentio

and

directional movement

1:

15-21). God

is going

somewhere. Wher

Already in Ezek 1:4

there

is a hint, since

the

storm-cloud chariot comes fro

the north, implying that He is heading to the south.

What is implicit in Ezekiel I becomes

explicit

in

Ezekiel

8-11. n Ezek 8

we have

another dateline,

this time coming some 14 months later than

the

fI

vision

i.e.

September 591). Ezekiel is

taken

in vision to Jerusalem, to

temple,

and

the

glol) ofGod

which

He had seen in his vision is

there (Ez

8:4). Ezekiel 9:3 reveals more specifIcally that

God

had taken up residence

the

Most

Holy Place

of

the

Jerusalem temple,

presumably for most

if

not

of the interluding 14

months since Ezekiel began his

ministry (Shea

does n

point out that

according

to Ezek 3:

12, 13,

23,

the

glory ofYahweh appears

have remained

in

Babylon

with

Ezekiel

at least

during the

seven-day period

his commissioning., but from the reference to the

glory

Yahweh

in Ezek

8

and

9:3, with the strong implication that

He

had taken up residence

in

Jerusalem temple for a special work, it

appears

that

the

glol) of

the Lord

m

have

moved

on to Jerusalem shortly

after

Ezekiel s cal

vision.)

At the end

this extended residence,

He is now preparing to leave.

Why had God

come to

the

temple ifHis presence was already manifest

there by the

shekinah

glory resting

over

the ark of the

covenant between

cherubim in the Most Holy Place?

Shea

points

out the

evident answer:

came

to

do a special work,

and

thatwork is the

subject

of

the

chapters

betwe

the visions of

Ezekiel

1

and

Ezekiel 8-namely, judgment. Following

description of Ezekiel s call in Ezekiel 2, 3,

four

chapters are devoted to

series of

indictments

against Judah and \,rophecies judgment. Chapter 8

the climax

of

indictments. in which

Ezekiel IS brought

10

vision to wibless

abominations

done

in

Jerusalem.

Shea

summarizes:

Yahweh

sat

in

judgment

upon His

people

n His temp e for some 14 months.

according to

the datelines

COlUlected

with these visions. the contents ofthe

visions

themselves. and the

nature

of

themessa.8es given

to Ezekiel

during

the interval between the Iwo

visions (1981:

287).


7/23

he

hiastic LiteraryStructure

o

the ook

o

Ezeldel

Confirmation

for this conclusion

regarding God s work in the temple

comes

in Ezekiel

9, where

the result

the investigative/trial judgment is seen.

The

professed people of

God are divided into

two classes,

those

who

really

serve Him these receive a mark or taw), the last letter of the alphabet,

perhaps signifying the faithful

remnant),

and

those

who did

not

really serve

Him these are m line for

e x e c u t i o n ~

Ezek 9 : 4 ~ 6 The fact that the two

groups,

righteous and

wicked,

are

differentiated in Ezekiel 9 implies that the

decisions

regarding this executive judgment

were

drawn

up, while

God was

residing

in

the Most

Holy

Place

during

the

previous

14

months-engaged

in an

investigative judgment. In Ezekiel

9,

God brings

an end

to this trial phase of

judgment, closes probation on Judah, and

proceeds

to the

verdict

and

sentence-to

the

executive

judgment.

Ezekiel 11 describes the details of God s departure from His temple.

According to

these

chapters,

God

departs in

stages.

He

leaves His place

between the golden cherubim in the Most Holy Place and

moves

to the

threshold the

temple

Ezek 9 : 3 ~

10:3,4), then

moves from

the threshold

and

stands over the living cherubim

his

waiting celestial chariot Ezek 10: 18),

then moves

the

East gate of

the

temple

enclosure

Ezek 10: 19),

and

finally

moves

away from the city

to the East and pauses over the

Mt.

Olives Ezek

11:22,23).

Thus,

as

Shea

puts it,

The vision covering chapters

9 throug 111 is a

reciJlrocal

of the vision

given

in

chapter

I.

In chapter I

Yahweh

came

to His temple for

a

work

of

iudgtl ent,

and

chapters

9-11 that work

ofjudgment completed,

He

departs

trom His temple

and city 1981: 289).

In

other words, chapters 1-11 are one structural unit, displaying the

movement of God to His temple for judgment

and

away

from

the temple as

His work

judgment is complete.

After a brief

review

the evidence in Daniel

that

the glory of

God

was

still in

the

east some 70 years later,

Shea

suggests a crucial, but

overlooked,

connection between Ezekiel 1 11 and the final

nine

chapters

the

book. The

central theme Ezekiel 40-48 is the restoration of the temple and the return

of the glory ofGod to it. The

dateline

these chapters

Ezek 40:

1),

reckoned

according to the f a l l ~ t o ~ f a l l calendar, which Shea

elsewhere

shows is to be

preferred 1991:

130-135;

Zimmerli 1983: 345, 3 4 6 ~ Cooke 1951: xviii;

McKeating 1993: 71; Greenberg,

1983:

11), is the tenth day

the

seventh

month,

or

Yom

Kippur

Day

of

Atonement,

which

that year

fell on

October

22

573

BC). Therefore,

this vision of the cleansed and restored

temr.le was

given on the day of

atonement,

when the

first

temple was

cleansea ritually

d u r i n ~

the services.

On the day when the first temple

was

to be cleansed ritually, Ezekiel

saw

in

vision

the

second temple restored, cleansed,

and

purified Shea

1981

: 291).


8/23


While Shea does not explicitly state as much, he

seems

to tacitly im

that this Day of Atonement cleansing/restoring activity

of

Ezekiel 4

constitutes a thematic counterpart to the work of investigative judgme

Ezekiell-ll, since according to Leviticus

16

and 23 (and recognized in

Jewish

literature)

the Dar ofAtonement was both a day ofcleansing/resto

and a day of judgment. Thus

Ezekiel

1-11 and 40-48 are linked not onl

the coming/departin

r

of the glory of the Lord, but by complementary

Da

Atonement

themes.

Shea concludes his study with the

following

summary:

Thus

the

visions ofGod and His glory given to Ezekiel and Daniel center on

His temple and His relationship to it.

Ezekiel I He is seen coming to His

temple from the north to take up His work ofjudgment there.

Ezekiel

1

He

seen leavingHis temp le to the east 14 months later, having completed

that work ofjudgment. ...

Then He

is finally seen by Ezekiel (40; I)

on

the

day ofatonement retwning

from

the

east

to His

temple,

which

ultimately

was

to reconstructed (1981: 291).

Many of the pivotal

points made

by Shea

find

substantiation in re

studies of these

sections

ofEzekiel. For example, the analysis of

the

movem

of

the

glory of

God from

the Most Holy Place of

the

earthly temple to

waiting celestial chariot-throne,

is

confirmed by

the

detailed

linguistic rese

ofMoshe Greenberg (1984: 195-198; Alexander 1986: 786).

Again,

the

structural

analysis

of

the

visions of God

in

Ezekiel

(Ez

1-3,8-11, and 40-48) by Parunak (1980: 61-74) and others shows the c

interrelationships

among

these chapters.

Tuell

speaks of the interconne

network of

three

visions

(Ezekiel

1-3,

8-11,

40-48), which stand as milest

of Ezekiel s ministry, and as key points in the structure of his book (1

19).

Similarly, McKeating indicates

that Ezekiel 40-48 balance the ea

complex of chapters 8-11, and concludes that these three great vis

(Ezekiel 1, 8-11, 40-48) form a

major

structural element of the boo

Ezekiel

(1993: 102).

Talmon and Fishbane provide numerous parallels to show that,

this

future vision

(Ezekiel 4048), with which we are here concerned,

effectively balances the vision of the Temple

in

Ezekiel

10-11.

Thus

whereas Ezekiel 1 11 Ezekiel describes

the

destruction of

the city

ana

temp le because of the sins of the populace, Ezekiel 4048 present a new

arcliitecthtonic and political plan

for the

restoration (1976: 139).

Later in their study

they

show

how,

this patterned and structural arrangement reflects a deliberate attempt to link

and balance these pericopae

(Ezekiel

8-11; 40-43:12),

and

thereby

i n t g r ~ Ezekiel s

final

vision within the larger framework of his

propbec1es ibid. .


9/23

The

Chiastic Literary Structure

o the

Book

o

Ezekiel

Taylor (1969: 14,

15 ,

Haran (1979: 51, 52), and Wevers (1969: 7

also

recognize the close connection between the first two

and

the last

vision

of

Ezekiel.

Panmak

in particular also reveals the pervasive

theme

of covenant lawsuit

(equivalent

to

Shea s investigative judgment)

in Ezekiel 11

(1980:

6 6 ~ 6 9

e summ rizes

the basic elements

of

the classic

rib : l ~ )

or covenant

lawsuit:

A

convocation of trial,

B

accusation by interrojation, (C) indictment,

D

declaration

of

guilt,

(E) declaration of

doom,

and (F) promise

of

salvation

for

the faithful. Then

foUows

a demonstration

of

how

Ezekiel

8-11

contains

all

of

these basic elements, arranged in a chiastic structure. My

own

analysis of

Ezekiel

5, 6

reveals a similar pattern (using lawsuit terminology/elements

which parallel

the suzerainty treaties): preamble Ezek 5:5a), historical

prologue (Ezek 5:5b), indictment

Ezek

5:6, 7), sentence of covenant curses

(Ezek 5:8-17, citing the covenant curses of Leviticus 26), and witnesses

(Ezekiel 6-even the

mOWltains as

witnesses re corrupt, Micah 6: 1, 2 .

The major implications of Shea s study for the structure of

Ezekiel are

two-fold:

I

Ezekiel

I-II

constitutes a Wlif1ed structural whole, with

the

coming and departure of the glory of God

Ezekiel 1,

9-11) forming

an

inclusio

aroWld

the covenant lawsuit (investigative judgment) activity of God

in the Jerusalem temple;

and

(2) Ezekiel 111 is structurallr interlinked with

its

coW1terbalancing

section at the end

of the

book (Ezekie 40.48).

While

the

parallelism between the Ezekiel and 40-48 is sufficiently

clear from evidence set forth

by

Shea

and

others, there also appears

to be

an

even more detailed block parallelism (or panel structure) between these two

sections of the book. My analysis is still tentative, but

may

account for the

somewhat W1usual ordering of materials in Ezekiel 4048 that

is

often noted

by commentators.

3

Note the point.for-point parallels as

seen

in table 7.3.

B-B ( ekieI12-23,

34-39): oracles

o

judgment and restoration.

Many

scholars who argue

for a bipartite or tripartite division

of

the

book

of

Ezekiel

recognize some general correspondence (or reversal) between

the

oracles of

judgment

and

the oracles of restoration. For those supporting the

bifid

structure,

this

correspondence or

reversal) includes the whole of

Ezekiel

1-32

on

one hand and Ezekiel 33-48

on

the other as comprising the judgment

and

restoration

sections r e s p e c t i v e l y ~ and for those supporting

the

tnpartite

A-B

A ) structure the correspondence/reversal is between Ezekiel

1-24

and 33-48.

Thus James Luther

Mays

observes: There is a correspondence between

certain wtits

in

the first

[Ezekiel

1-24] and third

[Ezekiel

33-48] parts

which

gives

the

two the

effect

of

a balanced relationship (1978:

23 . He goes on to

illustrate

this correspondencewithin the matching sections we have

labeled

B

n B :

The revelation of the history oflsrael s

sin

in the past

Ezek

20: 1-44;

see also chapters 16 and 23) is answered by the annOWlcement of a new

salvation history in the future Ezek 36: 16-38) (1978: 23 . This general

correspondence/contrast between

the

theme of judgment in chapters 12-23 and


10/23

8

To Understand the criptures

Table7.3. Panel structure

of

A-A: EzekIel

1-11 and

40-48,Yahweh comes to

HIS temple.

Dateline:

Uniquedouble-dating Dateline:Unique double-dating

The hand of the

Lord

was upon him The hand of

the Lord

was uponme

Visions

of

(1:1-13)

Visions of (40:1,

2a.)

2.

Glory ofGod comes from

the

North 2.

Ezekiel

looks (from theNorth) to the

to the

SouthH

I;4 )

South (4O:2b)

3.

Description

of

cultic entities:

3.

Description

of

cultic entities:

Cherubim

and chariot-throne (1 :4b-26a)

the

New Temple and its chambers (40:3

42:20)

4. Coming

of

the glory

of

tile Lord

(1 :26b-

4. Coming

of

the glory

of

the Lord (43:19

28a)

S

Ezekiel

falls

on his

face

and is lifted

up S

EiekJel falls

on his

face

and

is lifted

up

by

the Spirit

:28b-2:2)

by

the Spirit

43:3,5

6.

Commissioning

of

Ezekiel

(2:3-3:27)

6. Recommissioning

of Ezekiel

(43:10,11

cf

40:4

7.

Indictments for breaking covenant

7. New covenantstipulations: the

law

of

Stipulations: abominations offalse

the Temple for proper

worship

(43:12-

worship

at the Temple

(4-8) 46:24)

8.

Divine glory pausesat the threshold of

8.

Healingwater (symbolizing the divine

the Temple.

then moves to

the

East (9: I- presence) comes from under the

11:13; especially 9:3; 10:4.18.19)

threshold of

the

Temple andflows to

th

East (47: 1-12)

9.

Promised restoration

of

the Land (11: 14- 9.

Borders

of

the restored land (47:13-

21) 48:29)

10.

Departure of the

glory or

God from the

10.

God does not depart:

the

city

is named

city (11:22-25)

The

Lord

is

there (48:30-35)

the

theme

ofrestoration

in

chapters 34-39

is sufficient basis to

juxtapose th

two

sections

of

Ezekiel

as

counterbalancing members

(B-B ) of

overarching chiastic structure of the book.

But is there any more detailed evidence of the chiastic relations

between the two

sections?

I have found little

awareness in

the

schol

Iirerat lU e of

any

purposeful

arrangement

of the

various oracles.

John Wev

remark

is

typical:


11/23

The Chiastic Literary Structure ofthe Booko fEzekiel 81

The restoration oracles themselves, chapters 34-39, evidence no obvious

arrangement.

It is evident that

thougli

a

cornmon

theme does obtain

in

chaJ?ters 33-39, no clear principle ofarrangement can be

fully

traced (1969:

4, ::.

However, after a preliminary closer look at

the

relationships between

the

oracles

ofjudgment and

the

oracles of restoration, I propose that there may be

evidence

an

intricate chiastic connection between

these two

sections.

It

appears possible that

key

aspects

the

restoration oracles

are

deliberately

ordered

in

reverse

parallelism

i.e. in

chiastic relationship)

with the

judgment

oracles.

Table

7.4

swnrnarizes the tentative results

my research.

Although some

of

the suggested

parallels

are

thematic,

not

linguistic,

and

thus inherently more open to interpretation, even these thematic correspond

ences are impressive. Most noticeable

are

the four Messianic passages in these

sections Ezek 17:22-24; 22:

17-22;

34:23, 24; and 37:24, 25 4 which occur

as two pairs,

each in

precise chiastic placement to counterbalance each other.

. There

are

a number of precise linguistic correspondences in

chias tic

parallel in these sections, but the most impressive of these linguistic parallels

are

the ones that only occur within Ezekiel between these sections, as a

chiastic parallelism. For example,

the

flooding rain geSem M{ep

\: 0

O lll)

and great hailstones a J..ne elgiibfs lI :Li\?N. :LN only occur in

Ezekiel

in

Ezek 13:11,13 and 38:22; the divine

fury

upon the false prophets

in Judah will

fall

upon Gog in the time eschatological reversal. Again,

although covenant terminology appears

a

number of times

in

Ezekiel,

the

expression everlasting covenant

berll

jliim,

O?W

n 1::J. is

used only in

chlastic parallelism

in

these sections Ezek 16:60; 37:26).

The

most convincing

evidence

oflinguistic parallels is when several terms

and expressions recur together in a structural clustering. The best example of

such parallel terminological clustering in these sections of

Ezekiel

comes in

chapters

20

and

36.

Here

we fmd a

whole

series

terms,

phrases,

and clauses

that

in

this combination

are

found only in these two chapters.

s

In

summary, Ezekiel s Oracles of Judgment

Ezekiel

12-23)

are

certainly

in general chiastic parallelism with

the

Oracles

of Restoration Ezekiel 34-39),

and there is considerable evidence that

the

latter are structured in a detailed

chiastic repetition or eschatological reversal the former.

C C Ezehel 24 and 33): Jerusalem besieged and Jerusalem falls.

Joseph

Blenkinsopp

(1990: 5 rightly argues that in

Ezekiel

chapters 24

and

33

are

structurally crucial

in

the

arrangement

the

material.

He

notes

how

the first half

the book Ezekiel Ezekiel 1-24

focuses upon disaster,

while

the last section (Ezekiel 3448 focuses upon well-being, and then further

explains

why

chapters

24 and

33 play such a crucial role in

the

book:

Marking

this transition from disaster to well.being

are the

pivotal chapters

24 and 33 which bracket

the

great turning point of the fall of Jerusalem:


12/23

82

To

nderstand

the

criptures

Chap.ter 24 annoWlces

the besin J.in

of

the

siege and chapter 33

the news

of

the city s capture. Both

also

refer OQck

to the

prophet scall. and the loss

~

annoWlced in

24:25-27

(cf 3:24-27) comes

t

an end with the arrival

of the messenger in 33:21-22 (Blenkinsopp 1990: 5).

Some scholars have

placed

Ezekiel 24 and 33 together

with

sections of th

book

that precede

or

follow,6

but

the

pivotal importance of these chapte

appears

to warrant

recognizing them

as separate chiastic

members (CC )

Ezekiel s overall

chiastic structure.

Furthermore,

the

content

of

these chapters sets

them

apart

from

either th

oracles of

judgment or restoration.

Whereas the

oracles

of

judgment warn

Chapter

Oracles

of

Judgment Chapter

Oracles

of

Restoration

(11-23)

(34-39)

12

Judah goes into captivity 38-39 Return

from

captivity

sign action 12:1-7, 18)

(promised 39:21-29)

Fall

by

sword (12:14)

Fall by sword (39:23)

Gentiles

know (12:16)

Gentiles know (39:23)

Land desolate (12:19-20)

Return t land (39:26, 28)

13

Divine uryupon false prophets

38-39

Divine uryupon Gog with

with flooding rain and great flooding rain and great

hailstones (13: 11, 13)

hailstones (38:18,22

14

Four judgments

upon

38-39

Same

judgments (or

Jerusalem-sword,

famine,

wild

counterparts) upon Gog-sword

beasts. and pestilence (14:12-23)

(38:21), pestilence (38:22),

and

wild beasts gorging on

the host

QfGod at

Y W s

sacrificial

meal

(39:17.20)

IS

Fire CQlISumes desolate vine

of

38-39

Fire consumes Magog and allies

Jerusalem (15:1-8)

and

wel\fXlns

(39:6, 9, 10)

16 Unfaithfulness

to

divine

37

8

Faithfulness to divine covenant:

covenant: Jerusalem s defilement

They shall

not

defile

by

spiritual adultery (16: 159)

themselves any more

(37:23)

everlasting covenant (16:60)

e v e r l s t i n ~ covenant (37:26)

17 Covenant-breaking rebellion of 37

Covenant-obedience of restored,

Judah s princes (17:1-20)

reunited

Israel

(37:15-24)

Israel scattered (17

:21

)

Israel gathered (37:21)

Messianic allusion:

high

cedar

Messianic

reference:

New

(17:22-24)

David

37:24,25

18 Call

to

receive a new spirit, tum,

37

Call

fordry bones

to

receive

the

n

live

08:31 32

sDiriL

revive and live (37:1-14)


13/23

The Chiasttc Literary Structure o[the Book o[ ekiel

Chapter

Oracles

of

Judcment

Chapter

Oracles

of

Restoration

(11-23) (34-39)

19

Luxuriousvine (ofland of

36

Desolate land becomes

Jerusalem)

becomes uprooted

replanted and like

the Garden

of

andwithered (19:1014) en (36:35, 36)

20

Rebellion

against

Y W s 36

I will cause

you

...

to

walk n

statutes

and

judgments (20:1- my statutes,

and you

will keep

32;

esp. vv.

11, 13, 16. 18. 19.

my jUdgments

(36:27)

21,24

I

will

...gather you (20:34. 41) I will gather you (36:24)

hallowed in you (20:41) hallowed

in you

(36:23)

you will remember your ways you will remember your evil

(20:43)

ways

(36:31)

you shall loathe yourselves you will

loathe

yourselves

(20:43)

(36:31)

for

my

name s sake

(20:44)

for my

holy

name s sake

(36:22.44)

21

Son

of

man set your face toward

3536

Sonofman, set your face

Jerusalem ... and

prophesy

against

Mount

Seir and

against the land oflsrael

(21:2)

prophesy against it

(35:2)

Israel

becomes

desolate through Mount Seir will become

the divine sword

(21:3-25)

desolate

(35:2.15)

The desolate places

of

Israel

will be repopulated

(36:]15)

Messianic allusion:

34

Messianic

reference:

Overthrown

...

until He comes My Servant David (34:23,

whose

right

it

is 21 :25-27)

24 f

22

Sinsofleaders (princes):

34

Sins ofleaders shepherds):

crueltylbloodsbed

(22:

]]4

crueltylbloodshed (34:110)

I

will

scatter you (22:15)

1 will deliver them

from

all the

places

where

they were

scattered (34:12)

I will gather you

in

my anger

I

will

gather them

..

,

as

a

as silver

and dross in

the furnace

shepherd seeks out his flock

(22:17.22)

(34:12.13)

23

AbominatiQllS of two hnrlot

cf. 33

Abominations

of

Judah

(33:23,

sisters (Samaria and Jerusalem):

24):

defile

one

another s

defiled

y lovers

(23:

1-49)

cf. wives (33 :26, 29)

24:314. filthinessllewdness)

Table 7.4. B-B. Ezekiel

1223

and

34-39.

ChlastlC

parallels

between

EzekIel s oracles

of

Judgment a

restoration.


14/23

84


judgment to come, in Ezekiel 24

and 33

the judgment is presented a

historical reality. Ezekiel 24: 1,

2

records

that

on

th e da y that the

siege

Jerusalem

began i e January

15,588 BC), Ezekiel

was informed

ofthis

f

by

the w ord of the

Lord, and

was told write down the

name

of the d

Ezekiel 24:3-14

relate and

interpret

the

parable of

the

boiling

pot. Ezek

24:15-25

predicts

the death of

his w ife on

the

same day and th e div

command

that he not mown her

death

as

a sign

to the x l s ~

and

Ezek 24:

27 indicates that Ezekiel would e dwnb

Wltil he

received word of Jerusalem

fall.

All

of these elements emphasize that the

doom

of

Jerusalem

is

seal

after this chapter there is

therefore no

need to warn Israel of coming judgme

In Ezekiel 24, the oracles ofjudgment upon Judah

have reached

histori

fulfilhnent, and the focus ofEzekiel s messages is shifted elsewhere-fIrs

the oracles

against

the nations d u r i n ~ the

transition

period between

the

si

and

fall of Jerusalem Ezekiel

25-32}.

Chapter 33 form s the chiastic COWlterpart to chapter 24.

Ezekiel

reconunissioned as

watchman Ezek 33:

1-20; cf. 3; 16-21). According to Ez

33:21,22

the

messenger reports to Ezekiel that Jerusalem has fallen Janu

8, 585), and Ezekiel s

tongue

is loosed so that he is

no longer

mute,

fulfillment of

what

w s predicted

in

Ezekiel 24.

After

once

more

rehearsing

cause of Judah s

ruin Ezek

33:23-33), the prophet enters a

new

phase

ministry,

delivering the oracles of hope

and

restoration to

those in

ex

Ezekiel 34-39, discussed in the

previous section).

D D

Ezekiel 25-28:10

and

Ezek

28:20 Ezekiel

32):

oracles against

foreign nations. Panmak

has engaged in

detailed microstructural analysis

the

various sub-units

of

the

oracles

against the

foreign nations,

unfortWlately, he failed to explore the interrelationships

between

the t

halves of

this

section, and thus overlooked the block parallelism

alternation,

in

his

terms) that unites

them.

We

have

outlined the correspond

panels

of

the oracles

against

the foreign

nations in table 7.5,

A few

comments on these correspondences are in order.

panel

Ezekiel 25) and a (Ezek 28:20-26), we

find

parallel judgment

oracles a ~ a i

nations of

the Levant,

Israel s near

neighbors. Both

sections

begin

WIth

dateline,

but with

the

identical introductory formulas:

The

word

of the

L

came

to

me saying, Son of

man,

set your face toward .., and prophesy agai

... Ezek 25:1,2; 28:20, 2 1). T hen fo llow s the stock phraseology of

execution ofjudgment

Panel

introduces the series

of

Levantine nations

t

are

i ~ v o v e d

panel

concludes

the Levantine series w ith th e consequ

ImphcatlOn;

restored

Israel

would

no

longer

be

disturbed

by the

briers

a

thorns

of neighbor

nations who despised them,

but

would dwell securely af

O d c x c c u t ~ judgment

upon

these Levantine nations Ezek 28:24-2

ThiS

braef

mention of Israel s restoration appropriately ap pe ars at

commencement of the

second

halfof the

overarching

chiastic structure of

book, the halfemphasizing restoration hope.


15/23

The hiastic Literary Structure the ook Ezekiel

8

a

Oracles against four Levantine

Oracles against last

Levantine

nation:

nations:

Ammon. Moab,

Edom, Philistia

Sidon (with implications for Israel)

(2.5)

(28:20-26)

b

Judgment oracle Vi . Tyre A :

Judgment oracle vs. Egypt

A :

introduction (26:1-6) introduction (29:1-16)

c

Babylon

as

agent

of

divinejudgment

on

Babylon

as

agent ofdivine judgment

on

Tyre (26:7-11)

Egypt

(29:17-30:

19)

d

Judgmentoracle Vi. Tyro

A :

Judgment oracle

vs. Egypt A

:

restatement (26:12-18) restatement (30:20.26)

e.

Judgment oracle

vs.

Tyre

8 :

Tyre

Judgment oracle vs. Egypt 8 :

Pharaoh

descends to the Pit (26:19-21) and Egypt descend to the

Pit

(31:1.18)

f

Lamentation qindh for Tyre (27)

r

Lamentation qindh for Pharaoh and

Egypt

(32:1-16)

g. Judgment oracle vs. Tyre

8

: prince of g Judgment oracle

vs. Egypt

B :

Egypt

Tyre descends to

the Pit

(28:1-10) and Pharaoh descend

to

the Pit

(32: 17-

32)

Table

7.s. D-D :

Ezekiel

2.5-28:

10

and Ezek

28:20-Ezekiel 32, oracles agaInst the foreign nations;

blo

parallelism(panel structure).

Panels

b

(Ezek 26: 1-6) and

b

(Ezek 29:

1-16)

constitute the introducto

oracles against the two nations that will occupy the stage throughout the re

of this section, namely, Tyre

and Egypt. Both

panels

begin with

a datelin

(Ezek 26: 1; 29:

1), and

include the divine threat, Behold, I am against you

(Ezek 26:3; 29:3). The introductory oracle against Tyre is given

in the

sam

format as

the

other oracles against

the

Levantine nations, thus setting up

t

reader

for

a surprise that additional oracles against Tyre follow. T

introductory

oracle against

Egypt

is also surprising, since it comprises

the

on

oracle in which a foreign

nation will

be gathered

again

after

being desolate

and scattered.

Panelsc (Ezek 26:7-11) and

c

(Ezek 29:17-

30:

19)

focus

upon Babylo

the agent of divine judgment upon Tyre

and Egypt.

Conunentators hav

speculated

as

to

why in

the

series

of

six dated oracles against Egypt,

only

th

oracle (Ezek 29:

17-30:

19) appears out

of chronological sequence-actual

coming some 16 years after the

fall of Jerusalem, but a ready reason is

at

han

when it is recognized that while

Babylon

is briefly alluded to in other

oracl

against Egypt, this oracle details the role of Babylon

as the

agent of divin

judgment, and thus is placed

precisely

in the position paralleling the spotlig


16/23


upon Babylon

in the

sequence of

Tyre oracles, even though the oracle w

actually delivered at a

later time.

Panels d

(Ezek

26:12-18)

and

d (Ezek 30:20-26) provide a

restateme

of

major points

emphasized

in the

introductory

oracles against

these

tw

nations,

thus forming inclusios with panels band

b

respectively. With rega

to Tyre, in panel d

there

is

a

retwn

to

the picture presented

panel

a

mo

comprehensive view of

many

nations

(not justBabylon) successively comi

up

against

Tyre

( as

the sea causes

its

waves to come

up,

Ezek

26:

resulting in

destruction of city

walls (Ezek 26:4, 12),

making her like the

t

ofa rock (Ezek 26:4,14)

and

a

place

for spreading nets

(Ezek

26:5,

14).

Pan

d

supplements

the description

of

panel b

by depicting

the

trembling

a

lamentation of the princes of the

sea

over Tyre s fall (Ezek

26:

15-18).

With regard to Egypt,

panel d dated

by

the

text to

some

3

1/2

mont

later than panel b restates major points and phraseology of the former,

particular concerning Egypt s scattering. The

exact

same sentence

appea

once in panel b

and

twice 10 panel

( J will scatter

the Egyptians

among t

nations and disperse them

throughout the

countries, Ezek 29:

30:23,

2

Both panels emphasize

the

breaking of the power of Egypt,

and

the res

(repeated

twice

in each panel)

that

they

shall

know

that I am the Lord (Ez

29:9,

16;

30:25,26).

Panels

e

(Ezek 26:19-21) and

e (Ezek

31:1-18)

both

describe

destruction

of the

respective foreign

nations,

and in

particular emphasize th

descent

into

the Pit (grave, Mr 1l:J.), into the lowest,parts of the earth (Ez

26:20; 31:

16,18) with

those [other

nations]

who

descend

into the

Pit

(Ez

2 6 : 2 ~

31:16).

Then

follows in panelsj(EzekieI27) andj (Ezek 32:1-1

extended and highly

metaphorical lamentations

qfnah

nJ p

Ezek 27

32:2) over

the

respective nations.

Panels

g

(Ezek 26:1-10) and g (Ezek 32:17-32) conclude the orac

against the foreign

nations

with

another metaphorical description of desc

into the Pit. Both

the

prince

of

Tyee and Egypt/Pharaoh are castigated for pr

over their wisdom/beauty

(Ezek

28:2.6; 32: 19)

and consigned

to die by

death

of the

circumcised,

slain by

the

sword (Ezek 28:7,8,

10;

32:20, 21,

32). Panel

g

describes seven

famous

nations (Ezek

32:18)

with who

Egypt

and

Pharaoh will

lie

in the

Pit:

Assyria, Elam,

Meshech,

Tubal, Eda

the

princes of

the

north,

and the

Sidonians. Noteworthy

is

the mention of

Sidonians last

on the

list, thus corresponding to panel

a ,

the oracle agai

Sidon

in

Ezek

28:20-26,

and

forming

an

inclusio around the

oracles

agai

Egypt in this section.

In

summary, we

find

the

oracles

against the foreign nations divided i

two

blocks

ofmaterial

that unfold

in parallelism

with

each other. Following

initial

focus upon

Levantine nations in

panels a

and

a

there is an extend

s e r i ~ j u ~ g m ~ t oracles against Tyre withi 1

a

single time frame

that may

subdiVIded

mto

SIX

panels b-g), and these

SIX

panels correspond

respectiv


17/23

The ChiasticLiteraryStrncture the Book Ezekiel 8

to

six dated oracles against Egypt (panels b .g

E Ezek 28: 11-19 :judgmenton thefallen chernb Jose Bertoluci (1985)

has provided a p n t r t i n ~ analysis

Ezekiel 28.

Bertoluci evaluates the

various

scholarly

interpretations,

and

sets

forth persuasive evidence that in this

chapter there

is

a movement

from

the local, historical realm

the

earthly

prmce nigtd 1'))J) in

Ezek

28: 1-10,

to the heavenly

realm a cosmic

king melek, 1?> J), the supernatural ruler Tyre, in

Ezek

28:

1119.

Bertoluci's conclusion, reaffirming

the

historic interpretation this passage,

is

accepted

in

the discussion that

follows.

Here at the chiastic heart the book

Ezekiel

(Ezek 28: 1119, member

E), the language

is

no longer applicable to an earthly ruler, though

there

are

numerous parallels with the descriptions the prince Tyre and Pharaoh

Egypt, especially

in Ezek

28:1-10 and 31:1-18). In contrast with

the

earthly

nlgtd

Tyre,

who proudly claims to be god but is proven to be but a sinful

mortal

the prophet voluntarily ascribes superhuman qualities to the king of

Tyre, describing him in

terms

suggesting that he

is

a

member

the

divine

council, and

even

calling him a

kero 28:

14 (Parunak 1978:

373).

The shift from the earthly prince

nilgld)

to the

cosmic

king

melek),

who is

the ultimate

ruler,

is the same shift

we

find

in

1 Sam 8-13.

In the

latter

narrative, God calls Saul the prince nigtd)

Israel, and Himself the

one

who reigns

as

king mlk; 1

Sam

8:7; 9:16; 10:1; 13:14). The book

Ezekiel

may

reflect

this

same shiftwhen God

calls Zedekiah

the prince

nii>f:

N V

Judah (Ezek 12:10)

and

Himself

the

king

melek

His

people

(Ezek

20:33). Parunak suggests the relations angelic mentor and human pawn

in

Ezekiel 28, and points out that a similar theology appears to be behind

DaniellO (albeit

with

reversed terminology), where the earthly melek of a

country is set alongside

an

angelic Sar

(1\ ),

whose heavenly conflicts

with

angelic mentors other nations determine the course

events

on earth

Parunak

1978:

372,373).

Parunak's

well-founded

theological insights

are not matched

by a similar

enlightened literary-structural perception

with

regard to these verses.

After

such detailed and thorough microstructural analysis

much the book, he

makes no literary analysis Ezek 28:1115, averring that this section does

not suggest any strong structural patterning

(1978: 376).

What Parunak fails

to notice

is

that

Ezek

28:12-15 are in intricate chiastic parallel

with

Ezek

28:16-19.

Here

at the heart

Ezekiel's prophecies

is

one

the most striking

chiastic microstructures

the whole book.

The

structure in table 7.6 emerged

independently

in

my research,

and

is

confumed by the

almost identical

analysis

ofBertoluci (1985: 229).

With swift brush strokes

and

exquisite literary artistry, Ezekiel's

lamentation depicts

the

fall

the

celestial

covering

cherub from fullness of

wisdom and beauty (Ezek 28: 12b and blameless perfection tamfm, D >:)J l,


18/23

88

o

nderstand theScriptures

Chiastic Stmcture ofEzek 28:12-19

0 From the mountain of

God, a profane thing

halal)

A Inclusi

0 covering

cherub

I

will destroy you

vv.

17-19)

Fromthe

midst

of

the

stones offue

Till iniquity

was found

in

you,

...

and

you silll1ed

In the midst

of the stones

offlre

Perfect

in

Yourways

from

the day

you

were

cre ted

On the

holy

qodeJ

mount. \in

of od

I establish you

The

annointed

cherub

who

overs

Inclusio A

Condition

before

expulsion:

Perfection/proportion

Wisdom/beauty perfect)

In

den garden

of

God

Covering is prepared

Fieryprecious stones

Origin: On the day

you

were created

Condition after expulsion:

Pride heart

lifted

up)

Beautylwisdom

corrupted)

Defiled sanctuaries

Exposed as gazing

stock

Fire

devours

into ashes

Destiny:

No

more

forever

Table

7.6.

Chiastic Structure ofEzek. 28:12-19.


19/23

The Chiastic Literary Structure oJthe Book o[Ezekiel

89

Ezek 28: 15 to injustice Qwliih

il? ,

Ezek 28:

15b ,

abWldance of slander

(not trade, see Davidson 1996: 31-34),

violence,

sin

Ezek

28:16), pride,

corruption and defilement (Ezek 28:17 .

Bertoluci

rightly

points out that The

sin or rebellion of the Cherub is

the

climax of

the

passage 1985: 230 .

Flowing from this climax

is

the divine judgment upon the fallen cherub:

expulsion

from

the holy

mOWltain

ofGod, exposure, destruction

by fire, and

eternal annihilation Ezek 28:

16-19 .

By placing

the

judgment of

the fallen

cherub

at

the very

apex of

the whole

book, Ezekiel appears

to

emphasize

that

the ultimate responsibility for earthly affairs

is in

the

cosmic realm,

and the

angelic

mentor(s) of earthly rebels will also ultimately be judged.

Conclusion

To

sum

up our study, macrostructural analysis

of

Ezekiel

reveals a chiastic

arrangement for the book as

awhole,

with the

schematic arrangement of

A-B

C-D-E-D -C -B -A (table 7.2, above . The

matching

members of

the

overarching

chiasm

alternate between panel writing Members A-A and D

D )

and chiastic

arrangements Members B-B and E , intersected by a pivotal

inclusio Members C-C ). Ifpanel

writing

sections

equal

a chiastic

sections

equal and

indusio

equals c then the

matching sections of

the

book

fonn the

schematic arrangement

a b c a 1J

The literary structure of Ezekiel enhances

the

theological movements in

the

book.

The major

focus

of Ezekiel upon judgment/restoration is

groWlded

in

the

motifof

covenant lawsuitIDay

ofAtonement

in

the

literary arrangement

(A-A ),

which finds further development

in

chiastically corresponding

oracles

ofjudgment and restoration B-B ),

making

a pivotal transition

at

the

Siege

and Fall of Jerusalem (C-C ), then l o o n ~ beyond

Israel

to the judgment

oracles against

her

neighboring nations

0-0

and

reaching

the

chiastic

apex

with the cosmic judgment

upon

the Fallen Cherub E .

Notes

I. The cleansing/restoration is explicit: Lev 16:

19

describes the cleansing from the uncleanness

of

Israel,

and Lev 25:917 reveals that the Jubilee of restoration came every 50 years at the time of the Day of

Alonemenl The investigntive/executivejudgment is implicit Lev 23:29, 30 implies both trial and execution

ofjudgment for

those

who

do not

all:lict their souls, or for those who work, on the Day

of

Atonement. Later

Jewish sources make e Plicit what is implicit in Scripture, and the Day

of

Atonement (along with New

Year s Day) becomes the Day

of

Judgment (on New Year or Rosh Hashanah mankind s destiny is

inscribed. and on

Yom

Kippur it

is

sealed;

see

Talmud

Rosh Hashanah

6a

16b .

For a convenient

summary

of

ancient and modem Jewish references to the Day

of

Atonement as a day ofjudgment, see

Neufeld and Neuffer 1962: 6Hi4.

2. Shea (1982:

13,24

also sees a typological link between the final judgment upon Judah (which he

calls

the microcosm) and the final judgment upon theworlddescribed in Daniel 7 (the macrocosm). If the

typological link between Ezekiel 111 and the final judgment is valid (and the reference to Ezekiel 9 in

RewlatiOli 7 and 14 appears to confirmthis connection). then it is interesting to note that the two parallel

visions ofDaniel 7 and 8 seem to coincide with the two parallel sections of Ezekiel (Ezekiel \11 and 40


20/23

Bertoluci,

J.

1985

9 To Understand the Scriptures

48).

Just

as in

Ezekiel there is the investigativeltrialjudgment(Ezekiell.U) matched

by

the restorat

of the sanctuary (Ezekiel 40-48), so in

Daniel

the vision of chapter 7 ends with an investigativeltr

judgment (Dan

7:9, 10, 13 14 21 22

while the parallel

vision

ofchapter

8

ends with the restoration

the

SlII1Wlllry

Dan 8: 14). These

two

aspects of the Day ofAtonement complement each otherthematica

and counterbalance each other structurally in both Daniel and Ezekiel.

3. Note,

e g

the comment

ofMcKeating

(1993: 101):

The overall pattern

of

these chapters

(40-48

thus a somewhat untidyone. My analysis of the blockparallelismbetween Ezekiel 111 and 40-48 d

not preclude

other structural and thematicconstraints upon the ordering

of

materials

in

these sections.

example,

the

order

of

the threemain sections

in

Ezekiel

40-48

follows

the

order

of

similarmaterials

in

Torah

ofMOISeS. The desl:ription of

the temple

form

(Ezek

40:3-42:20)

parallels Exodus

25-40;

the tem

procedures andcultic worship

elements

(Ezek 43:1:2-46:24)parallels

the

material in

the

book

of

Levitic

and the description of the boundaries of the land (Ezek 47:13-48:29) parallels Numbers 34 (for furt

parallels with the

work

ofMoses.

see McKeating

1993: 102;

Parunak

1980:

72; and Levenson

1976:

49). Again. there may be Iiterary-structural considerationswithin

these

largerblocks, such as the chia

structures of Ezekiel 13 and 811 analyzed by Parunak (1980: 61-69), and the concentric (chias

structure of Ezekiel

40-48

outlined

by

Tuell

(1992: 18:20).

Thus,

more

than one thematic or structu

feature may be interlockingor overlapping

in

the overall compositional design

of

Ezekiel.

4.

Some scholars tend to

deny the

Messianic character of

one

or more

of

these passages that h

traditionally been regarded as referring to the Messiah (for

an

exegetical defense

of

the Messia

interpretation

ofall four of these passages, see E. W. Hengstenberg (1970: 697715); James Smith (19

361-372).

5. It should also be notedthaI, as indicated in the last section oftable 7.4, Ezekiel 23 has parallels

w

Ezekiel 33

B

especially Ezek 33: 23, 24, 26,29); although

for reasons

explained in

the

next section. we t

chapter 33 as a separate part of Ezekiel s macrostructure.

6.

So, e g Parunak (1978: 158) places these two chapters together with the oracles against the nati

as an inclusio

to the

central

section of the book that thus spans chapters

24-33.

Allen

(1990:

xxiii) sugg

that Ezekiel 33 may bea self-contained chiastic introduction to chapters 34-37, but cites another schol

proposal

that

ctIIlpt33:120

is a recap of

Ezekiel 124.

Acase could also

made

that these two chap

continue the extended chiastic parallels in

members

B-B discussed

in

the preceding section. We h

alreadynoted

in

the previous section that the chiastic parallel to chapter 23 is a block of verses in 33- (

table 7.4).

References

Allen,

L C.

1990 Ezekiel 2048.

Word Biblical Commentary

vol. 29. Dallas. TX: Word.

Alexander, R. H.

1986

Ezekiel. The Expositor s Bible Commentary. vol. 6.

Grand

Rapids. M

Zondervan.

The Son of

the

Morning

and

the Guardian Cherub in the Context of

Controversy

between

Good and Evil.

Unpublished

Ph.D. dissertation, Andre

University.

Blackwood, A.

W., r

1965 Ezekiel: Proplwcy

Hope.

Grand Rapids,MI: Baker.


21/23

The

Chiastic Literary Structure theBook a/Ezekiel

9

Blenkinsopp J.

1990 Ezekiel.

Interpretation: A Bible Commentaryfor Teaching and Preaching

Louisville, KY: John

Knox.

Brownlee W. H.

1978 Ezekiel s Parable of the Watchman and the Editing of Ezekiel. Velu

Testamentum

28: 392-408.

1986 Ezekiel 1-19. Word Biblical Commentary

vol.

28. Waco, TX: Word.

Cassuto

V.

1973 The

Arrangement ofth e

Book

of Ezekiel. Biblicaland Oriental Studies vol.

Jerusalem: Magnes.

Cooke G.A.

19S

I

A Critical and Exegetical Commentary

on

the

Book

of Ezekiel. In/emational

Critical Commentary

Edinburgh:

T.

T. Clark.

Davidson,

R. M.

1996

Satan s

Celestial

Slander. Perspective Digest

I: 31-34.

Eichrodt. W.

1970

Ezekiel: A Commentary Cosslett Quin Trans. . Old Testamrmt Library

Philadelphia PA: Westminster.

Ellison H.L.

1956 Ezekiel: TheMan andHis Message

Grand Rapids. MI: Eerdmans.

Feinberg,

C.

L

1969 The Prophecy o/Ezekiel: The Glory o the Lord Chicago:

Moody.

Fishbane, M.

1984 Sin and Judgment in the

Prophecies ofEzekiel Inlerpretatioll

38: 13 J.l50.

Greenberg,

1983 Ezekiel 1-20.

Anchor Bible

vol. 22. New York, NY: Doubleday.

1984 The Design

and Themes

Ezekiel s Program of Restoration.

Interpretation

38: 181-208.

Hals R. M.

1989

Ezekiel. Fonns

of

Old Testament Literature

vol.

19. Grand

Rapids,

MJ:

Eerdmans.

Haran, M

J

979 The Law-Code

Ezekiel 40-48 and Its Relation to the Priestly

School.

Hebrew

Union College Annual

50: 45-71.

Harrison R

K

1969 Introduction to the Old Testament Grand Rapids,MI: Eerdmans.

Hengstenberg

E.

W.

1970 Christology o the Old Testament

Grand

Rapids, MI: Kregel.


22/23

92

To

Understand the Scriptures

Howie,C.G.

1950

The

Date and

composition of

Ezekiel. Journal

Biblical Literature Monogr

Series vol.

4.

Keil,C.F.

1976

Levenson J.

1976

May,H.G.

1956

Mays,J.

L

1978

Commenl


23/23

The Chiastic Literary Structure ofthe Book o[Ezekiel

9

1982 Selected Studies on ProjJhetic Interpretation Daniel and Revelatio

Committee Series I. Washmgton, DC: Review and Herald.

1986a Literary Fonn

and Theological

function in Leviticus. Pp. 131-168 in Seven

Weeks Leviticus. Nature

of

Prophecy ed. F.

B.

Holbrook.

Daniel

a

Revelation Committee

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vol. 3. Washington, DC: Biblical

Resear

Institute.

1986b The Unity of

Daniel. Pp.

165-255 in

Symposium on Daniel ed. F. B.

Holbroo

Daniel

and

Revelation Committee Series,

vol.

Washington,

DC Biblic

Research Institute.

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When Did the Seventy Weeks Daniel 9:24 Begin?

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the Advent

Theological

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Smend R.

1880 Der Prophet Ezechiel 2nd

ed. .

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Alten Testament.

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Hirzel.

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Zimmerli, 1979: 3.

Smith,

J.

1993 What d eBibie Teaches about the PromisedMessiah. Nashville, TN:

Thom

Nelson.

Stalker D.

M.

G.

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Ezekiel. Torch Bible Commentary.

London:

SCM.

Talmon, S. and Fishbane

M.

1976 The Structuring

Biblical Books:

Studies

in

the

Book of

Ezekiel. Ed.

Knutsson.

nnual the Swedish Theological Institute X:

129-153. Leide

Brill.

Taylor, J.

B

1969 Ezekiel:

An

Introduction and Commentary.

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Downers Grove, IL

InterVarsity.

Tuell S. S.

99 The

aw

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Semitic

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4

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W.

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of

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